Child's Play
How Does God Use our Children to change our lives.
Our Children Bring Use to Jesus (John 4:46-47)
The Greek word for ‘royal official’, basilikos, sometimes rendered ‘nobleman’, probably refers to someone officially attached to the service of a basileus, a ‘king’—here doubtless referring to Herod Antipas.
The official in the verses before us sounds as if he is approaching Jesus out of the desperation of need, but with little thought as to who Jesus is
“Come down” (KJV, NASB, NRSV) is more accurate than “come” (NIV) because Capernaum, on the Sea of Galilee, was lower in elevation than Cana.
His son had been sick, and undoubtedly he had exhausted all the local means at his disposal. Failure of position and money to solve his problem drove him from Capernaum to the village of Cana, 20 to 25 miles away, hoping that the Healer would save his son from death.
The official was in no position emotionally to argue his case theologically. All he could plead for was mercy, for his child was at the point of death.
Literally, “king’s [man],” that is, a royal official, here probably a courtier of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea. This “nobleman” was a Jew, probably a Herodian (cf. on Mark 3:6). Some have suggested identifying this “nobleman” with Chuza (Luke 8:3) or Manaen (Acts 13:1), officials of Herod who became Christians.
The rapid spread of the report of Jesus’ return to Galilee testifies to His popularity (see John 4:45; Mark 3:7–12).
Setting the scene for this second miracle he says, there was a certain royal official whose son lay ill at Capernaum. The words royal official translate basilikos, an adjective meaning ‘royal’ or ‘belonging to the king’.
Whether the official was a Jew or not we do not know. If he was, perhaps he had been to Jerusalem and seen the miracles Jesus performed there (2:23; 3:2).
God wants to increase our faith (John 4:50)
The royal official is not interested in Christology or fulfilled prophecy or even in signs and wonders: he is interested in the well-being of his child (paidion).
The man accepts Jesus’ word and departs, thus demonstrating that he, unlike most Galileans, is not simply interested in signs and wonders (v. 48).
The boy’s healing is connected to the father’s belief in Jesus’ ability to heal.
Long-distance miracles were rare by Old Testament, other Jewish and Greco-Roman standards; people generally believed prophets and Greek magicians more easily if they were present in person
If the official really believed that Jesus could make a difference in Capernaum, he must also believe Him now in Cana. So he took Jesus at His word and left.
Go thy way. Once the necessary transformation had taken place, there was no delay in the granting of the request, albeit in a way the father had not expected. He had besought Jesus to “come down” to Capernaum, but Jesus told him simply, “Go thy way.
Capernaum was about twenty miles away. He urged Jesus to come back with him, since he evidently thought Jesus had to be in physical contact with a person to heal him.
There is no more pleading. Something—Jesus’ powerful words, His manner, the look on His face—convinces him that Jesus has healed his son (or will gradually heal him over time).
The words, though spoken to the centurion, are in the plural: you, like those around you, are slow to believe My word without first seeing a miracle wrought. This draws out the centurion’s faith, who at once returns, though Jesus does not go with him
whence the report of His miracles at the paschal feast had doubtless reached him, begetting in Him the hope that He would extend His healing power to his dying son, into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down—Capernaum being “down” from Cana on the N.W. shore of the sea of Galilee
Our reward is assured with our obedience (John 4:53)
The timing of the sudden healing, at the seventh hour (probably reckoning from sunrise—i.e. about 1.00 p. m.: cf. notes on 1:39), only served to strengthen the faith of the basilikos, since that was the time at which Jesus had performed the miracle
The official asked when his son recovered. The healing was no accident, for it occurred at the exact moment Jesus made His promise to him. It was at the seventh hour, which by Roman time was 7:00 in the evening
The lesson of this incident is that Jesus’ power is able to save from death even at a great distance. His Word has power to work; people are simply to believe His Word.
The object of the belief in this verse is clearly different than the object of belief in v 50. On the day of the healing, the nobleman believed that Jesus had healed his son. On the day after the healing, the nobleman and his whole household believed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.